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Hanging coffins are coffins which have been placed on cliffs.

They are practiced by various cultures in China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Hanging coffins in China are known in Mandarin as xuanguan (simplified Chinese: 悬棺; traditional Chinese: 懸棺; pinyin: xuán guān) which also means "hanging coffin". The most famous hanging coffins are those which were made by the Bo people (now extinct) of Sichuan and Yunnan. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces. Some of the Ku people also practice hanging coffins. The reasons for the hanging coffins of the Bo people are unknown, because no Bo people are left. Aside from the hanging coffins of the Bo, there are also several other hanging coffin sites found throughout China from differing time periods. The following is a list of hanging coffin sites in China:

Hongshui River cliffs of Donglan County, with hanging coffins built by the Buyang people

Hanging tombs of the Bo people at Doushaguan (豆沙关僰人悬棺) Cliffs southeast of Bainitang (白泥塘), Qiubei County, Wenshan Prefecture (Ku people, descendants of the Bo of Sichuan)

Hanging coffins are one of the funerary practices among the Kankanaey people of Sagada, Mountain Province, in the island Luzon of the Philippines. They have not been studied by archaeologists, so the exact age of the coffins is unknown, though they are believed to be centuries old. The coffins are placed underneath natural overhangs, either on natural rock shelves/crevices or on projecting beams slotted into holes dug into the cliff-side. The coffins are small because the bodies inside the coffins are in a fetal position. This is due to the belief that people should leave the world in the same position as they entered it, a tradition common throughout the various pre-colonial cultures of the Philippines. The coffins are usually carved by their eventual occupants during their lifetimes. Despite their popularity, hanging coffins are not the main funerary practice of the Kankanaey. The height at which their coffins are placed reflects their social status. Most people interred in hanging coffins are the most prominent members of the amam-a, the council of male elders in the traditional dap-ay (the communal men's dormitory and civic center of the village). There is also one documented case of a woman being accorded the honor of a hanging coffin interment. The more common burial custom of the Kankanaey is for coffins to be tucked into crevices or stacked on top of each other inside limestone caves. Like in hanging coffins, the location depends on the status of the deceased as well as the cause of death. The hanging coffins in Echo Valley have become tourist attractions.

Hanging coffins (liang tokek, literally "hanging burial") is one of the funerary practices of the Toraja people of Sulawesi, either for primary or secondary burials. The distinctively boat-shaped coffins, known as erong, are always placed below overhanging parts of the cliff-face. These can be natural overhangs or cave openings, but some coffins are placed beneath man-made overhangs. Like the hanging coffins of the Philippines, liang tokek accounts for only a minority of the region's funerary practices. Liang tokek were reserved for the "founders" of the village and thus are among the oldest dated coffins, dating to around 780 AD. The more common types of ancient burial were the liang sillik and liang erong which were cave burials; with the latter utilizing coffins (erong), while the former does not. Other more recent burial customs include liang pak (tombs carved into walls), tangdan (house-shaped tombs for noblemen, usually placed on hilltops), and liang patane (house-shaped tombs for commoners).

Quick Facts

• Hanging coffins in China are known in Mandarin as xuanguan (simplified Chinese: 悬棺; traditional Chinese: 懸棺; pinyin: xuán guān) which also means "hanging coffin".
• The most famous hanging coffins are those which were made by the Bo people (now extinct) of Sichuan and Yunnan.
• Hanging coffins (liang tokek, literally "hanging burial") is one of the funerary practices of the Toraja people of Sulawesi, either for primary or secondary burials.
• Some of the Ku people also practice hanging coffins.
• Aside from the hanging coffins of the Bo, there are also several other hanging coffin sites found throughout China from differing time periods.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Hanging coffins". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.